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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · wake · hide · ground · clip · fan · pitch · lie

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ground — a position
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. ball — a great time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com